Having no clue where Nancy is right now, I sneak away to the bathroom I hid in on the night when Noelle kissed me in the kitchen.
“Hello?” I answer, trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible.
“Hi. Where are you?” Nic demands.
“What do you mean?” Panic beats in my chest.
Nic won’t be that mad if I tell him where I’m at. But if I can avoid that convo while I’m here, I would like that.
“I mean, I’m home and you are gone, and the amount of mail on our foyer floor is from more than a couple of days. Where are you, Kat? Seriously, are you okay?” he asks.
“You’re home? Why?” I ask, shocked more at the fact that he flew home early than his questions.
The volume blares suddenly, and I realize I accidentally hit the speaker button. I go to turn it off, but it’s not working, like the touch screen somehow won’t work.
“Your text. I just figured it was best to get this taken care of as soon as possible. The papers were drafted up by one of our lawyers the day after I left in case this was your decision. I fly back out tonight. I’m hoping to just wrap this up quickly. But then I get here, and my wife isn’t anywhere to be found. What is going on?” he again demands, his voice slightly louder.
Nic isn’t a man to raise his voice or even get angry. He is always cool, calm, and collected.
“I’m in Saranac Lake. And if I told you the story, you wouldn’t even believe me. I would sound crazy. I’m okay. Look, I can be home in two hours. I’ll get in the car right now. Does that work?”
Fuck, shit. What the hell am I going to tell her family? Noelle?
“Yes. I’ll be here. See you soon. I got to take this,” he informs me before he hangs up to take another call.
My heart is about to thump right out of my rib cage as I rush to the bathroom door, throw it open, and run straight into Nancy.
All color drains from my face as she stares at me with shock.
“Nancy, hi. I can explain. Really, I can,” I blabber and stammer on. “Please just give me a—”
Her raised hand cuts me off. “Hot chocolate or coffee?”
I really don’t have time for a drink with her right now. But I’m afraid if I don’t make time, something worse than being late to the house will happen.
“Hot chocolate, please,” I whisper as cool chills sweep across my back.
Without a word, she turns and starts walking into the kitchen. I follow as the silence tortures my ears.
She pops a hot cocoa pod into the Keurig and starts it. Nancy’s silence is usually comforting, but I want nothing more than for her to say something right now.
But we sit in silence until the hot cocoa is done brewing. She grabs the steaming cup by the stem of the mug and brings it over to me, sliding it across the island to where I’m sitting on a stool.
“Thank you,” I mumble, my voice shaky.
“I want to say something before you start, okay?” Nancy doesn’t wait for an answer. “I like you, Kat, and I like seeing Noelle happy and smiling. I’ve never seen her as happy as she is with you. But I will not sit by and watch you hurt her with lies. Who were you on the phone with?”
In the short while I have known Nancy, I have come to love her like a mother. I’ve never had that maternal connection, and I would miss it dearly. The truth is the only way out of this with Noelle by my side.
“My husband,” I say matter-of-factly.
Her eyes widen with shock. But she says nothing, waiting for me to finish.
“His name is Nic. We have been together for a few years, but we were never right for each other, romantically speaking. He called me because he came home early from his parents’ and noticed I was gone. He had flown home for the night so that we could finalize our divorce. I love Nic, but I’m not in love with him. I haven’t been for a very long time. And after meeting Noelle, I’m not certain I ever was in love with him. We just made sense at the time. I had no home, no family, absolutely nothing. He gave me all of that and more. In return, I played the role of a perfect wife. At home, at work events, always. And I didn’t realize how stuck I was until I met your daughter. She made me see what life could be full of—laughter, fun, love.” Tears begin rolling down my cheeks.
I can’t contain the emotion pouring out of me. “I feel like I saw the world in black and white before her. And now, everything around me is art and chock-full of color. Noelle knows about Nic, and she knows that we’re separating. I know how shocking this must be. But I care about Noelle so very much. More than I even thought possible. Which is why I have to go home. I have to sign those papers. When I tell her exactly how I feel, I don’t want the thought of Nic on her mind.”
Nancy’s eyes are watery as she takes a deep breath and reaches across the island, grabbing my hands in hers. “That is beautiful. Everything you said. Noelle is my baby girl, and I love her unconditionally. I never want to see her hurt. And I can see that you don’t either.” She checks her watch. “You don’t have a car here though. What’s your plan?”
